Lord of the Sands
by Starfish912
Summary: Kazekage Gaara is confronted by the politics surrounding the Akatsuki and Konoha. On top of this, his meditation to keep the Shukaku at bay has been less effective of late. Will Gaara be able to keep the tense peace alive between his realm and Konoha? What if the Shukaku has other plans? Minor Hurt/Comfort. GaaHina/GaaraXHina. T for violence in later chapters.
1. Introduction to the Sands

Lord of the Sands

Lord Kazekage Gaara stood by the balcony in one of the inner towers of the City of Sand. Warm winds blew slowly across the desert and up the tower to the hardened emotionless face of Gaara. As he stood, overseeing his realm, he wondered, why did his ancestors come here? Why would humans, soft, comfort-seeking humans run to the hot, arid climate of the desert? Was it for safety from predators or enemies? Protection does exist when you inhabit one of the harshest parts of the world. It was so like his own ultimate defense, a shell to hide in. A safe place when none other presented itself. His mind wandered, pondering deeply the concepts and ideas of him and his people. He was so engrossed in his own mind that he didn't hear Hinata coming slowly up behind him. Ordinarily a voice from behind would shock someone, but Hinata's voice was so soft, so calm and so kind that Gaara hardly moved when she said,

"Good afternoon lord Gaara."

"Hello, Hinata…" Gaara said softly, sounding distant, like he was not truly on the balcony, but out there in the sand dunes.

"There is something wrong," Hinata said, sensing something in Gaara, "Tell me what troubles you, Gaara." Hinata asked.

"I fear for my people. I fear that this danger, the Akatsuki, is here. Not in body, but in mind. With the recant upset, I believe that the people are concerned for themselves… For their children and their future…" Pondered Gaara.

Gaara turned to Hinata and his room. His room was fairly plain. He required few comforts. A good bed, a small study section and a meditation section. To keep his Shukaku, the one tailed spirit, under control, Gaara had turned to a special form of meditation practiced in Kirigakure. It was working very well until recently.

During periods of high stress, the Shukaku seemed to grow stronger. Gaara was under recent pressure from Konohagakure to provide additional forces to aid in the search and defense from the Akatsuki. However, Gaara made it known that his limited forces were required to defend the cities under his rule. This stressed the already tenuous relations between the two countries.

"Tell me, Hinata, what do you feel?" Asked Gaara, "What do you think of all of this?"

"I think that the people are worried, but that they have faith in their leader. They feel your strength and conviction and it gives them hope. I feel that, although we don't know how this will play out, I have faith in you too, Gaara." Hinata said, as she bent Gaara's head down and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Then, Hinata smiled warmly, and Gaara felt at peace again. TO BE CONTINUED


	2. The Council Meeting

Gaara strode into the council chamber, his light tan cloak billowing behind him. He took his customary seat at the round stone table.

"Tsugumi, report." Said Gaara.

"Konohagakure is pressuring us for aid. They require fifty more Jônin to aid their search for the Akatsuki." Replied Tsugumi.

Gaara seemed to grow physically darker as he heard this. His back arched slowly and he slammed his fist on the table with incredible force.

"FIFTY? WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?" Yelled Gaara, sounding inhuman, even beastly.

Suddenly, Gaara came to his senses. He realized that his canine teeth had elongated and he could see his veins on his arm. Where he struck the stone table, spider-webbed cracks spread out.

"I apologize…" Said Gaara quietly, "You are all dismissed; I will hear the economic report later."

"Yes, lord Kazekage." The response came in unison from the rest of the room and the council members filed out.

"Shukaku… Stay silent. I am not yours… you are mine. " Gaara said to himself.

_You are mine. You have always been. You will always be. I helped you through your life. I taught you how to live. You would be NOTHING without me!_

"Shut up! You only taught me blood and pain! You didn't shield me from anything!" Gaara yelled.

At that moment, Gaara saw Hinata leaning on the doorway, looking very concerned and watching him intently.

"Hinata, I'm sorry, it's Shukaku. It gains entrance to me during times of stress and negative emotions." Gaara explained.

"It is okay, Gaara. I understand. Don't think that I married you without knowing what I was getting into." Hinata said jokingly.

Gaara smiled. He knew what she meant. She was there, at the Chûnin exams. That was Shukaku at its worst. She reached out to him after that. She tried to make a connection. She helped him to find himself as he truly was; not what Shukaku was trying to make him.

Turning his thoughts to the present, Gaara knew that what had just transpired was far too close of a call. ent, Gaara saw Hinata leaning on the doorway, looking very concerned and watching him intently.

G without . Wher


	3. Hallways and Messages

_Gaara…Give me blood…_

"Shut up, Shukaku. All you do is talk. Let me sleep." Mocked Gaara.

_Don't you remember what it felt like, Gaara? The warm liquid flowing over you hands… The life you received by taking theirs…_

Gaara snapped, "I… will… break… you! You are not the ruler of my future. You are nothing but an insect; a parasite that feeds on me. I vow now that I will find a way to cage you." Gaara growled at his inner demon.

_Oh? How, Gaara? With incense and meditation? Hehhehheh… You will succumb to me…_

Gaara just smirked. He was determined. Gaara rose from his bed, careful not to wake Hinata.

"Shukaku… Do you know the name 'Naruto'?" Said Gaara softly.

Shukaku was silent.

"He has the nine-tailed demon inside him. Caged, Shukaku, caged in him."

Gaara could feel the anger of Shukaku growing.

"He knows something, beast. He can tell me how to harness you." Gaara explained.

Shukaku receded into the depths of Gaara, taking this time to think. Gaara walked the sandstone halls of the great castle in the center of the city. He approached one of the night guard shinobi.

"Jônin Rokai…" Gaara whispered from behind the guard, "I need you to send a message of the highest urgency."

The guard, after recovering from the shock of having someone sneak up behind him, and the subsequent additional shock of that person being the Kazekage, he responded,

"What message, lord Kazekage?"

Gaara handed him a scroll wrapped in leather.

"You are to take this to the Hokage in Konohagakure as fast as possible." Gaara ordered.

"Yes, lord Kazekage!" Replied Rokai dutifully.

Without another word, Rokai exited the city and made for Konohagakure.

Gaara wandered in the halls and empty rooms of the castle the rest of the night. As he walked through the night, he thought about whatever had troubled him during the day. This habit, though, had become self-destructive. Gaara would go without sleep for days at a time. Hinata would regularly wake up to find that Gaara was gone, or laying there, looking at her as though he wondered what it was like to have peaceful sleep. Shukaku kept Gaara from sleep in silent protest against Gaara's efforts to suppress it. Gaara knew he could win. He knew that he would win. Naruto was the key. He knew it…


	4. A Message for Naruto

"UUUUuuuugh, How long is Kakashi going to make me do this?" Naruto whined.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have called him 'Patchy'." Sakura mused.

Naruto turned his attention back to his punishment, or discipline, as Kakashi called it. He was told to practice his forms, under the watchful eye of Sakura. Before long, a shinobi in Sand kingdom dress came down the dirt road outside the north gate where Naruto and Sakura were. The shinobi saw them, halted, and looked intently at them and approached Naruto. Although wary, Naruto approached the shinobi.

"Greetings from Lord Gaara. I bring you a message of urgent nature from the Kazekage." Said the shinobi, reaching into his satchel and drawing out a leather scroll.

"Alright, lemme see here. His Excellency, Kazekage Lord Gaara greets you, blah blah blah, he requests your presence at the Sand Kingdom capital?" Said Naruto, confused,

Naruto looked up to question the shinobi, only to find him gone.

"Well, looks like we're going on a trip, huh?" Asked Sakura.

"Who said you could come?" Asked Naruto, feigning annoyance.

"Well, Gaara wouldn't request your help unless something serious was going on and I'm the best medical shinobi in the whole of Konohagakure, besides Hokage herself, of course." Stated Sakura.

"Well, he doesn't say why he wants me. I wonder what could be so urgent. I can't be the Akatsuki or anything. He'd send a message to Hokage then." Naruto pondered.

"You don't think… Maybe he knows something about where Sasuke is?" Asked Sakura hopefully.

"I don't know. But, we're gonna find out! Come on, Sakura! Let's get packing!" Yelled Naruto, dragging Sakura towards town.


End file.
